Care Guide

SLVR Sterling Silver Jewellery Care Guide

What is Sterling Silver?

Sterling silver is a mainstay metal in fine jewellery because of its timeless and long-lasting qualities. This precious metal is made of 92.5% pure silver and 7.5% copper. Just like any metal, sterling silver jewellery needs special care to maintain its color and shape. Because yes, these pieces will tarnish—especially when exposed to air, sulfur, humidity, sweat, makeup, and other strong chemicals. This metal is prone to discoloration over time, especially if the jewellery isn’t frequently worn.

 

How to Prevent Tarnish on Sterling Silver Jewellery

You can prevent your sterling silver jewellery from tarnishing by following these easy tips and tricks.

Reminder: These cleaning and care tips are only for our sterling silver jewellery, not sterling silver plated in gold!!

Tip 1. Wear Your Sterling Silver Often

The more you wear your sterling silver, the shinier it will stay. Your skin’s natural oils will help prevent tarnishing and keep your piece shimmering. Just make sure you put your jewellery on after you're done getting ready for the day, so it doesn’t get sprayed with perfumes, sprays, and other cosmetics which may contain chemicals that are too harsh for silver.

Tip 2. Remember to Take Your Sterling Silver Jewellery Off

Avoid wearing your sterling silver while exercising, cleaning, bathing, swimming, or cooking. Coming in contact with sweat, chemicals, chlorine, salt water, and oils, may tarnish your jewellery.

Tip 3. Take the Time to Polish

To keep your jewellery in top condition, you may consider investing in a silver cleaner and silver cleaning cloth, microfiber cloth, or soft bristle brush. Before you store your jewellery, gently clean silver jewellery pieces with a sterling silver polishing cloth. This is an additional step that you don’t need to do every day, but it’s best to polish your pieces once a month to keep them shining.

Tip 4. Store Your Sterling Silver Jewellery in a Safe Place

Always store your sterling silver jewellery in a dry, cool place. Heat, sunlight, and moisture can all cause tarnishing. Avoid storing multiple pieces of jewellery together in the same compartment or jewellery pouch. You don’t want them to tangle or scratch each other!

 

How to Care for Gold-Plated Sterling Silver Jewellery

Jewellery made from gold-plated sterling silver is not only trendy, it is also part of a modern lifestyle. But what exactly does gold-plated mean and what is gold-plated sterling silver made of? In addition to these questions, special attention must be paid to the correct cleaning of the gold-plated sterling silver jewellery.

What is Gold-Plated Sterling Jewellery?

Gold-plated jewellery refers to jewellery that is covered with a thin layer of gold. The surface consists either of a gold alloy or fine gold.

Since gold-plated jewellery made of sterling silver basically has all the properties of the underlying basic material, typical changes occur after a while. Chemical reactions with pollutants or gases in the air can cause the gold-plated sterling silver jewellery to tarnish. In order to increase the durability of the jewellery, it is therefore important to pay particular attention to proper care.

How to Take Care of Your Gold-Plated Sterling Silver Jewellery?

A soft cotton cloth is best for dry cleaning the gold-plated silver jewellery. This makes it easy to clean and polish the gems at the same time. Alternatively, wet cleaning in the form of a lukewarm soapy water bath is suitable. After the bath, it is sufficient to rinse the jewellery with clear water and then carefully pat dry with a soft cloth or a silver polishing cloth. In order not to damage the jewellery during cleaning, there are a few things to consider:

• No rough cloths or soiled micro-fiber cloths may be used for dry rubbing or polishing
• Do not use gold or silver cleaning products, polishes, toothpaste or aggressive cleaning agents for cleaning.

If you have any questions regarding taking care of your (gold-plated) sterling silver jewellery, please don't hesitate to contact us!